Water Park to Close Following Tragic Drowning of Schoolgirl

The water park where 11-year-old Kyra Hill tragically drowned during a birthday party is set to close its doors. Liquid Leisure, located near Windsor, Berkshire, will cease operations in November, over three years after the incident which occurred in August 2022. The closure comes after a coroner ruled the circumstances surrounding Kyra’s death were “unlawful,” citing significant health and safety violations at the facility.

Emergency services were alerted at 15:55 local time when Kyra was reported missing. More than an hour later, she was discovered underwater and rushed to Wexham Park Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The coroner’s investigation highlighted severe deficiencies in safety protocols, including inadequate signage warning of deep water areas.

The water depth where Kyra drowned was recorded at 2.68 meters, while some areas of the park featured drops of up to 4.5 meters. Senior Coroner Heidi Connor criticized the park for misleading signage, stating that the only warnings present inaccurately suggested the water was shallow. She described these signs as “falsely reassuring,” particularly given that young children were allowed to swim without appropriate buoyancy aids.

Owner Stuart Marston, who faced an £80,000 fine following Kyra’s death, announced the impending closure, expressing gratitude to customers for their patronage over the past 24 years. Marston stated that the decision to close was prompted by the landlords’ choice not to renew the lease.

The investigation also revealed that the lifeguard on duty was only trained to perform surface-water rescues, which compromised their ability to assist Kyra effectively. Last month, Kyra’s parents publicly shared their anguish, recounting the moments before her death. Her father, Leonard Hill, described watching CCTV footage that showed the lifeguard not responding adequately as Kyra submerged three times.

Leonard emphasized the need for better training and safety measures at leisure centres, arguing that the lifeguard should have been able to dive in and rescue his daughter. He stated, “She was not able to dive under because she wasn’t trained. She was only trained for surface rescue.”

Kyra’s parents are now advocating for stricter safety regulations to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. They hope that their efforts will lead to improved training for lifeguards and better safety protocols in water parks across the country. The heart-wrenching experience has underscored the importance of vigilance and preparedness in environments frequented by children.

As the closure of Liquid Leisure approaches, the focus remains on ensuring that such incidents do not happen again, and that the safety of young patrons in recreational water settings becomes a top priority.